In statements made at a joint press conference, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the close ties between the two nations and the threat that Iran poses towards Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.
Merkel expressed support for Israel’s right to protect its northern border from Iranian forces, and that Iran should be kept off the Golan Heights in Syria. She said that Germany supported zero Iranian presence in Syria and that efforts must be made to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
In his address, Netanyahu spoke of the close economic cooperation between Israel and Germany.
“There are very few economies in the world today that have our capacity,” the Israeli leader said. “I truly believe that the talents in Israel and Germany are among the greatest in the world.”
The prime minister also spoke of the threats that Israel is facing.
“We are being challenged by forces of radical Islam, primarily by ISIS on one side and Iran on the other,” Netanyahu said. He also reiterated his opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran, which “put billions of dollars in the hands of the leading sponsors of terrorism.”
Netanyahu also spoke of the growing ties between Israel and the Arab world, but added, “I’m sorry to say that I don’t see this attitude from the Palestinian Authority.” He criticized the PA for blocking aid to Gaza.
The prime minister also praised Germany and France for taking action against Iran for sponsoring a terror attack in Europe this past summer.
Merkel, like Netanyahu, hailed the ties between Israel and Germany, observing, “The cooperation between our two countries is close and has even grown in the last years.”
The German leader said that her nation had a special obligation to fight anti-Semitism, saying, “We continue to carry the responsibility for the Holocaust and we will continue fighting it.”
Earlier in the day, Merkel, in answer to a question during a meeting with students from Haifa University, said that Germany and Israel “share the view that everything must be done to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.”
She also visited, together with Netanyahu, an innovation exhibit with displays from both German and Israeli companies.
During her two-day stay in Israel, Merkel met with Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, and visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial.
[The Prime Minister of Israel / Facebook ]